MOUNT OLIVE (March 7) – Fifth-year
John Horton improved to 3-0 on the mound after tossing 7.0 innings on Friday afternoon, as the No. 16 ranked University of Mount Olive baseball program earned a 6-3 win over Erskine in Conference Carolinas action at Scarborough Field.
With the win, the Trojans secured a seventh straight victory to improve to 16-5 overall with an 8-2 mark in conference play. Mount Olive will return tomorrow, Saturday, March 8, for a doubleheader against Erskine, starting at noon. Meanwhile, the Flying Fleet falls to 11-9 this season behind a 3-4 record in league action.
Horton yielded two earned runs on four hits with four strikeouts and three walks over 7.0 innings pitched (88 pitches). The Virginia native went beyond 6.0 innings for the third time this season while boasting a 2.43 ERA in six starts. Graduate student
Hayden Myrick captured his fourth save of the season after closing out the final 1.1 innings with one strikeout.
The Trojans threatened to score in the second and third innings after base-loading but were unable to bring across the first run of the contest. In the top of the fourth, the Flying Fleet grabbed a 2-0 advantage following a two-run single through the left side with two outs. The Trojans managed to respond in the bottom of the fifth with redshirt sophomore
Jon Howard launching a double to left-center with one out. The next at-bat, redshirt senior
Mike Kenney laced a single to right field, but Howard crossed the plate following a throwing error by the outfielder, 2-1.
Mount Olive managed to break open the game in the bottom of the sixth with five runs on four hits, highlighted by an RBI single from junior
Lane McLean and a two-run double to right-center by redshirt junior
Garrett Moffett, 6-2. The Erskine scored in the top of the eighth frame on a sacrifice fly to close the gap to 6-3. Myrick recorded the final four outs of the game to secure the home win.
Moffett finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and one walk, while juniors
Jakhari Howard and
Ryder Hancock each went 2-for-4 at the plate.
The Trojans return to Scarborough Field on Saturday, March 8, for a doubleheader against Erskine, starting at noon.
